Kayaking along the Coast

Renaissance Palaces, Charming Villages, Italian Cuisine, and Bright Water Paddle the Italian Riviera’s Ligurian Sea, beneath stunning cliffs and ancient Italian villages. Lunch in tiny family-run Italian restaurants. Hike the path along the cliffs, paddle to grottos, visit a medieval abbey, and eat a sumptuous dinner of seafood pasta, local wines, and roasted peppers in local olive oil. Drift off to sleep in a 400 year-old guesthouse.

Liguria is the narrow, rocky coast where Italy bumps against Monaco and France. As in Monaco, high cliffs run along the Mediterranean. But in Cinque Terre (Five Lands), the villages have been flawlessly preserved with the intelligence and elegance that is typical of Europe. Cars are forbidden. Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and you can only reach the villages by train or on foot.

Hundreds of terraces run along the cliffs, supported by 1,250 miles of dry stone walls, built without cement by artisans. That’s longer than China’s Great Wall! Olive trees and vineyards grow on the terraces. We will hike among them and sample the wines and olives.

Forget red sauces and goopy pizza. Northwestern Italian specialties are fragrant white pizza (focaccia), gourmet pesto, and local olive oils. Seafood is always available, as are local Italian wines and cheeses. We go to Cinque Terre by way of Genoa, the city in which Christopher Columbus was born. Genoa is now renowned for having the largest medieval quarter in Europe. In Genoa there is a fascinating series of Renaissance and Baroque palaces dating from 1576, the “Rolli,” which have also been chosen as a UNESCO Heritage site. Even the Italian spoken here is different. France and Monaco are only a few miles away, so sometimes you’ll hear the locals speak an Italian dialect much influenced by French. To the west are the casinos of Monaco, northwest are the cathedrals of Turin and the Italian and French Alps, northeast are the incomparable art treasures of Florence, and southeast is the city of Pisa, with its leaning tower. As always in Italy, the shops offer high fashion clothing such as Portofino, wonderful embroidered linens, and hand-painted pottery. In the villages we’ll see centuries old marketplaces, castles and churches.

It’s quite a combo: Italy’s charm and gourmet cuisine combined with the freedom and fun of paddling on bright water!

Travel with Us

Day 1 Arrival at genoa airport meeting and transfer to hotel Welcome in a local restaurant In old town, introduction of the tour, briefing Night in a local hotel or family guesthouse in old town Day 2

Day 2 Breakfast in hotel, Walking tour in the city UNESCO World Heritage ( top class museums, aquarium, old churches , huge heritage , old markets , biggest historical center in all Europe ) How to male pesto sauce corse (1 your ) and genoese special Dinner in same restaurant, Night in a local hotel or family guesthouse

Day 3 Breakfast in hotel, All luggage will be transferred straight to Cinque Terre for day 5, Allow light clothes Walking shoes and dry clothes for 2 days (shoes, changing underwear, beauty case,personal bElongings , dry clothes) , Transfer by minivan to Bogliasco and put in on the beach, Paddling along the coast to the villages of Pieve , Sori,Recco (home of local cheese focaccia ) and take in out in San Fruttuoso di Camogli, Short Walk (20 min uphill ) to organic farm local products fine food , awesome atmosphere, Dinner and night at the farm

Day 4Breakfast at the farm, Before put in visit of the Abbey (dated Year 1000) and snorkelling above the Christ of the abyss ( statue 20 Meters under water ) , paddling to Portofino and Rapallo, Take out in Rapallo, short Walk 15 minutes to cableway to santuario of Montallegro, Dinner and night in hotel

Day 5Breakfast in hotel, Cableway down to Rapallo, Train to Monterosso ( 1 your about ) UNESCO World Heritage, Free afternoon for Walking in Monterosso, Accomodation in hotel, Dinner in local restaurant on the Beach

Day 6Breakfast in hotel, Free day for Walking, exploring 5 terre by boat, train, shopping or just relaxing, Dinner at local restaurant

Day 7 Breakfast, Put in at monterosso, Paddling to Corniglia, Dinner and Night at small local restaurant

Day 8Breakfast, Paddling along Cinque Terre to Palmaria island, Dinner and night at local hotel ( top class Michelin guide standard )

Day 9Breakfast, Paddling way back to Riomaggiore, Dinner and night in Riomaggiore

Day 10Breakfast in hotel, Paddling way back to Monterosso, Dinner and farewell party in Monterosso

Day 11Transfer back to Genoa by train, Airport

Hotels
Guesthouses

Chris Bandy With more than 25 years of expert wilderness paddling experience, co-owner Chris Bandy is a master guide who knows both wilderness and safety. He has been trained and certified by the American Canoe Association and specializes in teaching open water rescues techniques and navigation. Chris’s experience includes extensive paddling on Lake Superior-with its’ special challenges- and also paddling on most of the oceans on earth. He has been guiding our sea kayak adventures to Greenland, Lake Superior, the Bahamas and Vietnam for the past 15 years. Chris’s clients feel safe and well cared for. He’s well known for his ear to ear smile and adventure travel stories. You can’t travel with Chris without catching his adventurous spirit.